A Vaishnava Theatrical Performance in Nepal: The Kāttī-pyākhã of Lalitpur City

Every year, during the lunar month of Kārtik (October–November), the Newars of Lalit­pur city (Nepal) stage a theatrical play called kāttī-pyākhã. Despite changes over the ages, this performance, which dated back to the seventeenth century, is a relic of ancient medieval Newar theatre. It is mainly Vaishnava in character, though it includes also some Shaivite features and comic interludes. The present article is an ethnographic account of this enduring tradition. It also explores the religious and cultural contact of the play, as well as its aesthetics codes and languages.